The present invention relates to an ostomy coupling comprising a first part with a neck, a second part with a collar adapted to be coupled in tight-fitting relationship with the neck of the first part, one of the parts being intended to be attached to a patient, the other part being secured to a collection bag, and a locking ring for mutually retaining the parts.
The invention is primarily constructed as a lockable coupling for retaining ostomy equipment, such as bags for collection of evacuations for surgically formed, artificial intestinal orifices, and for retaining closure-like locking devices for such artificial bodily orifices, but it is also suited for retaining ostomy, incontinence, wound and fistula drainages, including retaining bags for collection of urea from incontinent natural or artificial urinary orifices.
Such couplings are usually annular and the part intended to be attached to a patient (in the following called the patient part) is often provided with a plate or flange applied with an adhesive by which the patient part is adhered to the patient's skin and which is generally changed at an interval of several days. The second part of the coupling, which is secured to a bag for collecting faeces, in the following called the bag part, must for obvious reasons be completely tight-fitting to the patient part.
GB 2 201 345 discloses a coupling for ostomy bags in which a locking or latch ring must be flexed axially in order to couple and release the coupling parts. Such axial flexing requires axial pulling forces perpendicular to the wearer's skin, which can be very painful to the wearer.
Manipulation of the coupling parts during assembly and disassembly may cause great pain, especially to newly operated ostomy patients, and consequently it is important that such manipulation transfers as few and small force loads as at all possible to the patient.
Consequently, it is desirable to provide a coupling of the kind described with a locking mechanism so that assembly and disassembly may be performed without causing heavy loads, while the coupling parts are retained together by the locking mechanism which can be brought into and out of engagement in an easy way without transferring any appreciable force to the patient. It is furthermore important that the coupling, besides the patient part and the bag part, comprises no other loose or separate parts, so that assembly and disassembly can be performed quickly, and in a simple and safe way.